Can frontline employees in service firms help consumers improve their financial wellbeing?

Research on financial planning behaviour has largely focused on financial counselling and consumer financial savings in advanced societies. Little is known about how service firms and especially frontline employees (FLEs) support consumer financial wellbeing at the base of the pyramid (BOP), which includes 1.3 billion people. The small scale o f research mainly has focused on financial planning and financial wellbeing as consumer responsibility rather than how financial service firms support consumers in their financial wellbeing journey. This study employs social learning and self - regulation theories to develop a theory that addresses how FLEs can contribute to regulating BOP consumer financial planning behaviour. Drawing on matched data of 255 FLEs and 255 consumers, and 45 managers, the findings show that FLEs customer orientation behaviour support s consumer financial planning behaviour. Further the results suggest this relationship is stronger when FLEs pay attention to detail of consumer need s . The findings support t he important role of managers and their leadership style to support FLEs at the frontline to help consumers. Finally, the results show that consumers who engage in financial planning behaviour will enjoy higher financial wellbeing. The study offers service managers solutions to support consumer financial planning behaviour and financial wellbeing.